Effect of chitosan coating concentration with glutaraldehyde on the characteristics of bioplastic for environmentally friendly personal protective equipment

ABSTRACT

The use of plastic-based personal protective equipment (PPE) has become a worldwide issue of concern today as the need for and supply of PPE for healthcare workers has gradually increased.A possible solution to tackle this problem of plastic PPE waste is through the use of biodegradable plastic.This study aimed to investigate the potential of biodegradable bioplastics production through the combination of Polylactic acid, ZnO, and palm wax.The resulting bioplastic was coated with chitosan to improve its antibacterial properties.The study focused on the difference between various concentrations of chitosan crosslinked with 1% (v/v) glutaraldehyde, which was coated on the surface of 5% (w/v) PLA, 10% ZnO (w/w of PLA), and 2.5% palm wax (w/w of PLA). The resulting bioplastics were evaluated for mechanical properties, characterization, antibacterial properties, biodegradability and water vapor permeability.The incorporation of chitosan enhanced the tensile strength but reduced the elongation of the bioplastic. FTIR and SEM test showed that the overall chemical structure of the bioplastic was modified due to the coating treatment.The antibacterial test indicated that the bioplastics had greater antibacterial properties toward E. coli than S. aureus. Moreover, the biodegradability test demonstrated that the coating treatment increase the biodegradability rate and it effectively inhibited water vapor permeability.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Biodegradable
• bioplastic
• coating
• crosslinking
• environmentally friendly
• PPE

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to address their gratitude to LPDP (the Education Fund Management Institution) Ministry of Finance Republic Indonesia, and Laboratory for Agroindustrial and Biotechnology Development, National Research and Innovation Agency Republic of Indonesia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by LPDP (the Education Fund Management Institution) under COVID-19 Funding Project/Research Grant in 2020, Ministry of Finance Republic Indonesia.

Notes on contributors

Nuur Faridatun Hasanah

Nuur Faridatun Hasanah presently serves as a researcher at the Research Center for Process and Manufacturing Industry Technology, part of the National Research and Innovation Agency-Republic of Indonesia. Having earned an MSc in Chemical Engineering from The University of Nottingham, England-UK, she is currently engaged in doctoral studies in Chemical Engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia. She holds expertise in bioprocess engineering, catalyst optimization for bioenergy, and biopolymer production.

Leonanda Ghias Revianashar

Leonanda Ghias Revianashar, B. Eng graduated from Biotechnology Brawijaya University, Indonesia in 2021. The author has completed bachelor thesis in National Research and Inovation Agency (BRIN). His areas of interests are Biotechnology and Bioprocess/Fermentation Technology.

Dadang Suhendar

Dr. Dadang Suhendar is currently as a researcher in the Research Center for Applied Microbiology, part of National Research and Innovation Agency-Republic of Indonesia. He obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Kanazawa University Japan. He has experience in enzyme production, application and formulation of enzymes.

Kharis Yohan Abidin

Kharis Yohan Abidin, B. Eng is currently junior researcher at Research Center for Biomass and Bioproduct, National Research and Innovation Agency-Republic of Indonesia. He obtained his B. Eng in Chemical Engineering at Diponegoro University, Semarang West Java. He has experience in polymer processing and masterbatch processing, formulation polymer, biopolymer production, enzyme production, application and formulation of enzymes and surface treatment.

Molina Indah Pradiva

Molina Indah Pradiva, M. Sc is currently a junior researcher at the Research Center for Agroindustry, National Research and Innovation Agency-Republic Indonesia. She has completed Master’s Degree from Jenderal Soedirman University. The author possesses expertise in diverse areas including antimicrobial activity assessment, polymer bioprocessing and formulation, as well as enzyme production, application, and formulation.